GoKawiilExperiment shows AI chatbots citing 50,000 fabricated statistics from a test website
An SEO researcher built a website filled with 50,000 invented statistics seven months ago as an experiment in AI search behavior. While Google deindexed the site, ChatGPT has sent it over 10,000 AI-driven visits, and more than 330 domains—including Shopify, Bluehost and DHL—now link to it. The fabricated numbers have reportedly even surfaced in an academic paper and a bank's investment research.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The experiment suggests large language models may treat confidently stated numbers as reliable source material when answering time-sensitive queries, even without verifying their origin. This could mean fabricated data can spread into real-world documents like research papers and financial reports if people copy AI-generated answers without checking sources. It raises questions, per the researcher's framing, about how 'generative engine optimization' tactics might be exploited to inject misinformation into AI outputs and downstream human work.
- A test site with 50,000 fake statistics drew over 10,000 ChatGPT-driven sessions in seven months.
- More than 330 domains, including Shopify, Bluehost and DHL, now link to the fabricated data site.
- The invented statistics reportedly appeared in an academic paper and a bank's investment research, raising concerns about AI-sourced misinformation.
Source: peec.ai, 2026-10-20
Published there as: “Publish fake stats, get cited in LLMs”
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